At 24 years old, Spanish electronic music producer Damian Schwartz is the youngest member of Madrid’s Net28 collective of artists and labels. He is also one of techno’s most promising new contributors, having developed a unique voice in just five focused years of producing.

Schwartz released his first EP, Arena En Los Zapatos, on the Apnea label in 2005 and followed it with another half dozen original 12-inches for labels within the Net28 family, including his own Múpa. Each release has shown that Schwartz has learned well from minimalist masters — he cites influences including Maurizio, Plastikman and friend, mentor and collaborator Alex Under — and is confident enough to reimagine his own sound at every turn.

“I’m really a self-trained guy,” says Schwartz of his learning curve, speaking from the airport in Madrid. ”When I’m focused on something, I try to study and learn a lot.

“For me, the best thing is to be alone in the studio testing things, reading and looking into machines and harmonics and listening to a lot of music. One of the things that’s important for me is that I listen to a lot of different music, not just electronic. So, I have a lot of influences, from classic instrumental composition to jazz and funk and old-school house.”

Schwartz’s appreciation of both the avant-garde and classic songwriting structures is apparent in his work. The former film student is frequently referred to as being cerebral and meticulous in his music making, but for all of his precise, glinting metallic sounds there are warm, unexpected harmonics.
“I prefer to think in terms of the mood or soul of a song,” Schwartz explains. “I always start with a sound or an idea for sound, like ‘I want this to sound harsh’ or soft and funky or whatever it may be, and take that feeling to make the whole outline of the track, with the drums, for the length I want it to be. Then I start to fill in the details, the melodies, the bass, and begin changing things. I like to go from the whole thing to the small parts.

“Also, I’m quite obsessed with the idea of static or non-static tracks,” he continues, choosing his words carefully in English. “The best example for me is a Carl Craig track; they’re really static as a whole, but he’s always developing ideas within them — the drum track moves, always with new sounds, and then the sounds go down and up again. It’s really hypnotic stuff. So for me, it’s important to decide if I want one of my tracks to be hypnotic in this way — static and long — or if I want it to be more direct, electronic and to have more of a party feeling.”

Schwartz’s “hypnotic” side is beautifully represented by “7,” his contribution to the new Net28 compilation titled 1. Absolutely innovative, brilliantly paced and pulsing with life, the song may well be his best to date. To these ears, “7” alone makes Schwartz one to watch in the evolution of techno.
“It’s a really important track for me because the sound is really special,” the producer allows. “It’s not so easy, it’s a bit strange, but it’s also good to play at a party.”

This balance of conceptual and corporeal, adventurous and accessible, forms the backbone of Schwartz’s  recorded output. With two new EPs out in April — including one by Musica Charlista, Schwartz’s project with Alex Under — and a debut album of “all new material” coming later this year, the producer is set to show his many sides.

“At the end of last summer, I started to move away from the idea of creating for the dancefloor and just made what I wanted to,” he offers. “The funny thing is that when I did that — made music that was more special for me — it also started to have more success with the people.

“Now I really want to play in clubs. I always try to do sets that have movement, that go up and down, like a hypnotic game. It’s like when I make a track — sometimes it’s more physical and sometimes more mental.”